66 User Reviews of Caribbean Princess Cruise Ship

16 months after my 1st cruise on Caribbean princess I took a
wester carib voyage. Th ship is ever as perfect as last
year....maintained and staffed perectly....very very rarely was any
sign of passenger wear evident.

Princess is doing a great job with this ship.

My only major complaint is wheelchair access.I was restricted to
a motorized wheelchair and often found myself stuck on the door
thresholds in the public area,(Horizen court to pool is worst)I was
far from alone,people were constantly getting stuck or twisting an
ankle. I'd have to sit till a good samaratain coud push me...and my
chair was powerful!

I filed a "FORMAL" complaint with the pursers office only to be
told by hotel staff they have complaints on EVERY cruise and
nothing would ever be done...all it needs are the risers to go from
3 inchs to 1 inch.....should take maintenance all of a hour to
fix.

We always enjoy our first visit to a newer ship and this cruise
on the Caribbean Princess, launched in 2004, was no exception. This
ship looked majestic in port with her eighteen deck high Skywalkers
Nightclub suspended above the rear, like a race car spoiler. Capt.
Manfuso was very happy to extend a real warm Princess greeting to
us. We also met Passenger Services Director (PSD) Peter Hollinson
and his able assistant Rebecca Lamb, who proved to have a wealth of
knowledge on the Caribbean Princess. Thus, just a few hours on
board, we had several new acquaintances and were about to encounter
an old one when we checked on our dining reservations, Maitre D'
Nicola Furlan. We had met him a few years ago on the Grand
Princess. We also made many new friends including Executive Chef
Giuseppe Pollara and Pastry Chef Riccardo Bellaera (both from
Sicily, Italy) and more on these two accomplished men later.

This ship is the largest of the Princess ships --- picture this:
The Grand Princess, plus one more deck. The old

saying about the Grand Princess when she first sailed from Venice,
Italy, in May 1998 was "...she presented a view so grand that only
a solar eclipse is more spectacular..." must now be replaced by the
idea that only the Caribbean Princess is closer to heaven!

EMBARKATION We sailed from Ft. Lauderdale, which is the closest
port to our home and thus our favorite. Saturday morning traffic
was light on I-95 and we arrived at the port approximately 11:00am.
There were still passengers debarking from the last cruise, but we
were placed in a large cool waiting room and given a No. 1 boarding
pass along with other wheel chair passengers. Boarding time is
listed as 1:00pm, but it actually began at noon. We had wheelchair
assistance all the way to our mini suite. Later we heard that some
passengers had a long wait of up to 3 hours; thank goodness we
didn't.

THE SHIP The Caribbean Princess was built by Fincantieri
Shipyards in Monfalcone, Italy and is hull #6067. Launched in 2004,
she is registered in Hamilton, Bermuda and weighs 112,894 gross
tons. She is 950.01 ft. long and has a total breadth including
wings (2 folding fin stabilizers) of 165.7 ft. ; however, her
moulded beam is 118 ft. with a maximum draft of 27.7 ft. Her
passenger capacity is 3,740 with a crew of 1,060 (technical staff
is 87 --- 23 officers and 64 crew). She has four 16 cylinder diesel
engines in vee form, plus two 12 cylinder diesel engines all
attached to a synchronous generator. Propulsion is provided by two
electric motors activating two propellers, two rudders and six
transverse thrusters, capable not only of forward and backward
motion, but also of sideways movement. The only thing that
surpasses her fuel capacity of 2,649 tons is her fresh water
capacity of 2,731 tons. On board there are 14 passenger elevators
(lifts), 13 service elevators, 4 handicapped platforms, 4 store
platforms and a passenger conveyer (a movable walkway to the
Skywalker's Nightclub).

Enough of the mechanical specifics and now to the decor which is
beautifully subdued. When entering on the Plaza Deck 5, the most
stunning design is John Richen's "Caribbean Symphony" which are
three deck tall hand carved aluminum panels set between glass
panes. The underwater scenes picture fishes, manatees, medusas
(jellyfish) etc. and sea flora. They are truly breathtaking. When
inside the elevators, Deck 8 and up have fanciful porthole bubble
displays.

The handy Caribbean Princess's Passenger Pocket Guide starts
with the following decks: Gala Deck 4 has the medical center, we
were invited to tour it but could not make it --- from discussions
with passengers who had occasion to use the facilities, we found
out that they were more than adequate --- swift and complete. Aft
Decks 4 & 5 have the Galley.

Plaza Deck 5 midship has the Island Dining Room with Carlos
Ozzimo's "Island Series." He has also done lovely pastoral series
for the Coral and Palm Dining Rooms and even the "Grand Casino
Series", all of which are acrylic on canvas. The simple wood
paneled walls with smoked glass and brass sconces are stately but
mellow. On the starboard side near the Panoramic Lifts there is the
Joker's Card room with the "Old World Maps Series" (Anonymous),
beautifully reproduced on tiles. In the atrium are also located the
Grand Plaza Lobby Bar and the Passenger Services and the Tour
Desks. Forward on Deck 5 there are staterooms and a Laundromat.

Fiesta Deck 6 aft has the Palm Dining Room, the Gallery and the
Coral Dining Room midship. Going toward forward again are the
Boutiques and the Grand Casino. All the way forward is the Princess
Theater with its warm Tuscan red walls and comfortable seats, with
an excellent view of the stage from everywhere.

Promenade Deck 7 aft has the Club Fusion with a Southwestern
motif: dark woods, leather, surround bars, and a sunken dance floor
and bandstand. Cowboy murals, one wall of old tint types and a
mechanical bull complete the aura. Midship is the Photo Gallery,
and Trattoria Sabatini, the upscale Italian Restaurant with murals
by Istvan Bernath. Next, are two great rooms, the Explorers Lounge
with its travel the world motif and the Wheelhouse Bar with its
nautical theme.

Midship are more boutiques and the Crooners' Bar with a grand
piano and the interesting stained glass panels "Crooners Glass
Series" by Janick Arts. >From here there is the best view of the
stunning light fixture shaped like a huge pendant flower: its
petals of mysterious smoked glass edged in pewter. Look down on the
wonderful round mosaic centered on the floor (oops deck). Next go
forward to the Sterling Steak House and the Internet Cafe (Vincent
and other Captain's Circles platinum and elite members have free
internet access). Forward is the upper level of the Princess
Theater, with a ramp for wheelchair access. There are many reserved
seats for the handicapped and even ushers to make sure everyone is
comfortable.

Emerald Deck 8, Dolphin Deck 9, Caribe Deck 10, Baja Deck 11,
Aloha Deck 12, Riviera Deck 14 are all staterooms and suites with a
laundromat located on each deck. There is also ship's laundry
service which is reasonable and prompt. There is a Terrace Pool aft
on Deck 14.

Sun Deck 16 forward has the Lotus Spa with another lovely
"Japanese Fantasy Series" by Ozzimo; this is a very peaceful,
restful area. There is also the Gym & Spa here. Aft are located
the Fun Zone for children and the Off Limits for teens.

Sports Deck 17 aft has the moving walkway up to Skywalker Night
Club. Deck 18 forward has Cyber Golf, the Jogging Track, and Center
court. Deck 19 has the Skywalker Night Club which is suspended high
over the seas like a "Spoiler" on a racing car. Daytime its serene
and quiet way up here, at night it's a whole new world.

Over all the ship is lovely with many art works in stairwells
and on walls and all tastefully done.

FOOD & SERVICE We had high expectations for our 8th Princess
cruise and we feel that they were met. Service always radiates down
from the top and Capt. Manfuso is a serene, solid Commander who has
well placed confidence in his crew. PSD Peter Hollinson has high
standards and he ensures that they are met. Service throughout the
ship was gracious, prompt and smiling. Especially helpful on a
daily basis was Jr. Asst. Purser Hernan Cicchini (Want a daily
paper? Times Fax? La Stampa? Money changed? Postage stamps? Ship
information?, etc.). He is always pleasant and prompt, just
incredible. Vincent also spent some time with the cordial
Environmental Officer Tibor Filipovic to discuss the various on
board activities, such as waste disposal, recycling, regulatory
compliance, etc. The last CDC Vessel Sanitary Inspection made last
March yielded a great score of 99/100.

But, of course it is in the restaurants and dining rooms where
the quality is most evident. Executive Chef Giuseppe Pollara was
always on his toes: He made some potato gnocchi that were so light
that they floated off the plate straight into the mouth. The menu
was broad, diverse, and the "Always Available" items were
excellent: Appetizers of shrimp cocktail, Fettuccine Alfredo in a
cheese basket, and Caesar's Salad; and Entrees like Beef Filet,
Salmon Filet or grilled Chicken breast. During the week there was
succulent Swordfish, Pheasant, Lobster Tails, Ossobuco, and Rack of
Lamb, etc. The desserts were great under Pastry Chef Riccardo
Bellaera. A freshly made Torta Millefoglie e Crema Inglese was
wonderful not overly sweet, just delicious. The piece de resistance
was a strawberry crostata made in an almond tart crust with layers
of cream, mascarpone, and chocolate --- topped with a rose of
thinly sliced fresh strawberries. Ah, Heaven! The ice creams are
made on board Italian Style (gelato); try the nocciola, fragole,
stracciatella, or the terrific sorbets.

Maitre D' Nicola Furlan is magnificent. His assistant Vitor
remembered us from the Island Princess. It was like "Home Coming
Week." Our Waiter Eduardo (Portugal) and his Asst. Waiter Pat
(Thailand) were perfect. The pace was just right. Princess Cruises
have distinctly Italian cuisine, since circa half of their
executive chefs are Italian born and trained. We love it. The
breads are properly cooked, crunchy crusts, white, whole grained,
dark rolls and bread sticks.

Dinner at Trattoria Sabitini ($20 per person) is a must, since
the ambiance is lovely and background music included Italian songs
by Venditti, the Italian star singer and his guitarist Maurizio
Perfetto. The music here was especially welcomed, since the dining
room did not have any. The Restaurant Manager is the smiling
Loredana and our waiters Florin, Barrio and Roberto served the
seemingly endless courses. There is a menu from which to select an
entree of Lobster, Jumbo Prawns, Veal Cutlet, Filet Mignon, etc.
The rest of the meal is served course by course from platters:
antipasti, grilled vegetables, soups, pizza course, salad, pasta
course and entree and desserts. A terrific evening --- Ladies you
will feel like a queen. The other upscale restaurant located on
Deck 7 is the Sterling Steakhouse ($15 per person) which requires
reservation and it is renown for prime quality meat. We have not
been there, but we'll make it next time.

Dining Options are traditional seating in the Islands Dining
Room: a fixed time and table each night. Anytime Dining in both the
Palm and Coral Dining Rooms. This latter style is based on
available seating, just like shore side, or reservations made
through a concierge service by telephone in your room. There is
also the 24 hour Horizon Court Buffet and room service. We always
use room service for Continental Breakfast. Room service was on
time and the food was quite good. If you desire American Breakfast
then use the dining room or the Horizon Court.

CABIN We had Mini Suite #D528 on Dolphin Deck 9. The design is
long and narrow and the colors cool and restful beige, white and
willow green with nice wood accents. The bar and cabinets have
granite tops. When entering the suite there is a long narrow
hallway, so narrow that the wheelchair had to be folded to get in.
On the left is a bathroom with a single sink, tub/shower and
shelves for toiletries. Exiting, there is a long walk-in closet and
a cupboard with shelves and a personal safe. On the left wall is
the king size bed and two end table with dimmer lamps. Next there
is a desk with mirror and drawers, and then a long green hide-a-bed
sofa, a coffee table and a leather arm chair.

On the opposite wall is a double bar, two TVs, one facing the
bed and the other the sofa, and a refrigerator. There are three
rather nice prints on the walls reminiscent of Monet (a flower
garden, a country home and a small European harbor town). The
ceiling has a recessed double wood framed square with rounded
edges: Rather interesting and effective. The far wall is all glass
with a door leading to a small square balcony, on which are four
chairs and a table. Deck 9 balconies are all open to the elements,
since there are no covers or tops, cruisers are exposed to the view
of others and the elements of wind, rain and direct sun. Deck 10
has partially covered balconies and 11, 12 and 14 are all covered.
We were the recipients of strange flotsam, among which a dead rose
(we are still pondering the meaning of such "gift").

Our cabin was always neat and well attended by Ernie, and we
appreciated it.

ENTERTAINMENT This is s huge ship and there are many venues ---
simultaneously every night were several shows in the Princess
Theater, the Explorer's Lounge, and the Club Fusion. Cruise
Director David Cole keeps it all sailing along smoothly. In the
theater the "BIG" shows were good, but not spectacular. The most
important innovation is "Movies under the Stars", an outdoor cinema
on Calypso Deck 15 by the pool, with a giant screen visible during
daylight and at night (now installed on other Grand class ships and
on Carnival Liberty, etc.). There are also Scavenger Hunts, dance
classes, Scholarship at Seas Programs, Trivia, Bingo and Casino
games. There is nice music all around the ship, but alas none in
the dining rooms--- only on the last night during the parade of the
flaming Baked Alaska. Every evening at the Lobby Bar on Plaza Deck
5 there was great piano music. Bravo to the pianist Si Bi.

DEBARKATION This was a cinch. We are always amazed that
passengers are in such a hurry to end their vacations. They bring
hand luggage with them to breakfast; even though, they are informed
that debarkation only begins after the ship's clearance by Port
Authorities. They are so anxious to be off first that they disobey
rules and clog the central exit areas of the ship. We always go to
breakfast without luggage. Then we return to the cabin and get our
hand bags. PSD Peter Hollinson arranged for wheelchair assistance
to meet us in our rooms at 8:45am. We were assisted through
passport check, baggage pick up, customs and were outside on the
Pier at 9:10am awaiting our car. The system was entirely
efficient.

PORTS OF CALL Day 1. Ft. Lauderdale, FL Sail Away 6:00pm

Day 2. Princess Cay, Bahamas Arrive 9:30am Depart 4:00pm

The Island of Eleuthera was discovered by Columbus in 1492.
Tender from the ship to the island. A great day at the beaches with
swimming, snorkeling, water sports and BBQ.

Day 3. At sea We sailed through the "Windward Passage" between
the islands of Cuba and Haiti. This is the first "Gala Night".

Day 4. Ocho Rios, Jamaica Arrive 7:00am Depart 3:30pm A favorite
excursion here is the climbing of the famous Dunn's River Falls. We
did that when we were younger and able, now we limit our visit to
the nearby shopping area.

Day 5. Grand Cayman Arrive 7:00am Depart 3:30pm Interesting
tours are Stingray City, Butterfly Farm and Helmet Dive. A few
years back we explored the Coral Reef on the SeaMobile Submarine (a
personalized dive for two persons); however, we do not know if it
is still available. This is the second "Gala Night".

Day 6. Cozumel, Mexico Arrive 8:30am Depart 6:00pm We docked at
the new Pier, just finished since the devastation of last year's
Hurricane Wilma. There is a nice shopping Mall close by the pier
where we found excellent values for gift and souvenirs. Here the
most interesting tours are the Mayan Ruins at Tulum, the
Eco-Archeological Park at X-Caret and some of the best reef
snorkeling in the Caribbean.

Day 7. At sea.

Day 8. Ft. Lauderdale, FL Arrive 7:00am

CONCLUSIONS We have enjoyed a great cruise on this enhanced
version of the Grand class ships. We are looking forward to
cruising on the Crown Princess, launched this year, and the Emerald
Princess (2007) to enjoy the newer ships of Princess, which remains
one of our favorite Lines. However, we'll make sure not to book a
cabin on the Dolphin Deck 9, since on this cruise we were not
satisfied with our uncovered balcony. We feel the cuisine is among
the best at sea, especially in regard to the Italian dishes, which
we found simply delectable. Another suggestion we like to make is
in regard to the Princess Patter format which is too wordy and
difficult to use. Some other cruise lines offer a summary guide for
quick reference to the daily activities, which can be detached from
the main paper and carried in the shirt pocket when folded.
However, there is a nice handy Quick Reference Dining & Bar
Guide.

Our schedule of future cruises for the end of this year is the
following: Freedom of the Seas on Oct. 15th, Carnival Legend on
Nov. 8th, Norwegian Jewel on Nov. 26th and Queen Mary II on Dec.
9th. Happy Cruising!

I recently went on a cruise on the Caribbean Princess. This was
my second voyage with Princess, the first being on the Diamond
Princess.

I took advantage of the Lotus Spa on the Caribbean Princess,
getting a massage, and it was Ok. However; after the massage, the
therapist went off on a high pressure sales tactic to sell me
nearly $300.00 worth of products I would never use. I did not buy
them and after telling the therapist "no", she began haggling with
me and I finally had to get up and get out of there. I was half
naked on the little treatment table they put you on and this
therapist was sales-pitching me some cleansing pills. She spoiled
the whole experience and I even cancelled the second appointment I
made prior to the cruise.

Also beware in the Lotus Spa, if they cannot fill your
appointment time if you cancel, they will charge you a 50%
cancellation fee. Fortunately for me they did fill my spot I
cancelled for the second treatment and I was not charged a
cancellation fee. If they had I would have taken it up with
Passenger

Services and would refuse to pay it.

I found the therapists in the Lotus Spa condescending and rude;
first when I wouldn't buy the products and second when I cancelled
the second appointment. I would advise potential passengers that if
the therapists in the Lotus Spa get rude with you, get rude right
back and threaten to cause trouble. They certainly don't want
that.

On my review sheet given at the end of the cruise by Princess, I
rated the Lotus Spa a poor rating because of their high pressure
sales tactics and their attitude.

Other than that, the cruise was a delight and the Caribbean
Princess was a great ship. I will sail on her again.

Well, I can't say a lot of good things about Carib Princess. One
thing I can say the Carib Deck balconies was delightful. It was
about 9x9 feet in size. However, the cigar smoke made it difficult
to enjoy. The cabin decor looks as if the designer took duplicated
the "love boat" TV series of 1980s. The cruise director and
sidekick were lame and torture to watch. Most of shows lacked
talent. I've seen better at my daughter's school. The dining room
experience was awful each time.

We started to eat buffet Carib Cafe. No one said that this ship
was a retirement ship. Most of the passengers were white and 50+.
The food was bland and breakfast was ok. I enjoyed the ports but
beware of sightseeing scam in Grand Cayman. We should have remain
at the beach. Coz & Ocho was very nice. Oh yeah we saw the
Carnival ship way over in the harbor we wanted to jump off and sto
on their ship. We said we would do any thing to get off this ship.
This ship is boring to the 10th power. Princess cays a

- Embarcation was a breeze, since we had pre-registered on-line.
We were aboard in 20 mm! Amen. - The cabins are spacious and
well-conceived, with a dressing area next to the showers. The
showers are not water-saving and feel great! - The food is
excellent, the cruise director was dignified, the dining room staff
attentive and professionnal. - The tenders at Princess Cays in the
Bahamas are fast and take you ashore in no time. - Excellent open
buffet on top deck every night, if you did not want to go to the
dining room. Tables are covered with linen, VERY NICE.

The so-so stuff:

- No trays in the Horizon Cafe. You got to juggle your plates,
go back for more stuff, then go back for drinks/coffee. Staff does
not help, does not pour coffee, as was the case on our many
Celebrity cruises. - Not enough tables in Horizon Cafe. Every
morning for breakfast we had to hunt, and hunt, and hunt down a
table, often cleaning up because the staff was busy elsewhere. A
major hassle. - The ice machines in the Horizon Cafe did

not work most of the time. Major hassle. - They charge for
ice-cream on the pool deck. I was stunned they would nickle and
dime passagers that way. That sucked. - They charge for watery,
lukewarm hot chocolate at breakfast. Next time I'll bring my own. -
They don't have good tea, only Lipton. Bring your own Bigelow for
some decent Earl Grey. - Shows were so-so. Comedian/juggler.
Another Comedian/Magician and another comedian couple.... I missed
the Celebrity Shows, which were more diverse. One of the comedian
was very off-color. Is is really necessary to say the "F" word in
front of kids? Did that make him funnier??? NOOOOOO. - Water at
Princess Cays was murky. Too many people I suppose. If you want
nice clear water and snorkeling, you have to walk away from the
crowd, down the beach. It's a coral beach meaning put water shoes
on your kids, or their feet may suffer cuts, as was the case in my
family. We ended up walking away to a spot that had enough sand for
the kids to enjoy a swim, pretty far from the tenders area. - We
had requested early seating, but we booked the cruise late and
there was no space. We solved the problem by showing up in one of
the freestyle dining room the first night at 6 p.m. sharp, and
telling the Maitre d' that we'd take the same table every night at
the same time. He OK it and we did fine. Some people who did not
make these arrangements had to wait for tables, and were very sore
about that. - The mini-golf is useless. Poorly conceived and built,
it's impossible to play. Go figure! - Wish there were more
ping-pong tables, for the days at sea. It was always busy! - I wish
the Adult pool spa was sea water, not regular water. Sea water is
so therapeutic, it's a shame not to be able to soak your tired
bones in hot sea water. I'll go back to Celebrity for their sea
water jaccuzis, because I always feel 5 years younger by the end of
the cruise. - There was no showcase midnight buffet on the last
day. Instead, they built a pyramid of glasses that they filled with
really cheap champagne. All along ladies were invited to have their
picture taken (another way for the ship to make money). The
champagne was so bad we took a sip and surrendered the glass
immediately to a waiter.

OK, overall, it was a good value, a good cruise on a very nice
ship. I would recommend it to friends, with the above warnings.

This cruise was planned by me to take my family to the Caribbean
for my birthday and it was highly anticipated and booked on-line
with Princess.com. It cost 4000 dollars.We previously sailed with
RCI JOS and loved that cruise so much that we couldn't wait for
another one!

We booked an outside cabin on Emerald deck for our two sons aged
30 and 17 and a balcony cabin on the Lido deck for ourselves, a
little splurge for my birthday. Everything was done on our cruise
peresonalizer and on the phone with Princess including requests for
bathrobes for both cabins, birthday celebrations and a bowl of
fruit. We sailed out of FLL on September 30 after a long
embarkation. The doors did no ope until after 12.30.We were on the
ship at 1.30 We immendiately went to our rooms.

I loved the balcony room and it's nearness to the pools, buffet
and MUTS. There were no bathrobes, bowl of fruit or birthday
balloons. My sons' room was clean and spacious, also with no fruit
or bathrobes. We met our cabin attendants

and they were very nice. We decided to go to the seafood
extravaganza in the Horizon court for the first evening. There were
cold lobster claws. King crab, shrimp and a few other selections
which I can't remember.

We purchased two coke cards for our sons. The seafood was salty
and tasted defrosted. I dodn't care for it and I love seafood..The
next morning we opened our balcony door to have room service
breakfast and found we couldn't because of the smoking in the next
cabin's balcony. We ate inside and kept the door closed. Big
disappointment.Why no non-smoking deck? I have chronic asthma and
can't be near smoking.

Later in the evening we went to the Palm anytime dining for the
first formal evening excited, dressed up to the nines because of my
birthday. There was a lomg lineup and I could not get near the
Maitre-D to ask about wait times.I saw a lot of older people with
canes who looked exhausted by all this waiting. We went back to our
room for room service club house sandwiches. They arrived cold
after 30 minutes. Not happy.

The next morning I thought I had better call down to reserve the
Palm dining room for that evening and the rest of the cruise. i was
told there were no spaces avilaible only at 5 p.m? This was too
early as we had shore excursions booked. I was upset and called
hotel services, explained the problems of eating in the room for 3
days and they said there would be an opening in the Palm dining
room that evening and the rest of the cruise. I asked the cabin
steward for the bathrobes on several occasions and didn't receive
them until the third day. We went down to the dining room that
evening. We were rushed though our dinner as the server quickly
brought my son's main course with our appetizers. Every time I put
the fork down the plate was whisked away. I guess you could call it
good service . I called it being given the bum's rush. I am not a
fussy person but this is getting to me.

We enjoyed the islands and the food in the dining rooms was
good.The ship is too big and service is impersonal and unfriendly.
The food in Horizon court is poor(canned corned beef for lunch one
day, delicious Asian buffet the next) very uneven.We had large
holes in our sheets and they were hospital quality ,they wer not
changed all week. I never complained to any of the staff even
though I felt like it. Didn't want to spoil things for my family.We
had better bedding at the Holiday Inn express in FLL. Tendering to
Princess Cays were chaotic with no routines in place.

I witnessed a member of Princess staff being extremely rude to a
man in a wheel chair whose wife was struggling to get him into the
theatre. He barked at her to hurry along as she was holding things
up and that she was in the wrong entrance. Inexcusable.

The entertainemnt suffers by comparison to RCI and if you like
comedians every night you will be happy on this cruise.People were
walking out of the shows as the singers were offkey. My sons were
shocked.I was really disappointed I will not be cruising on
Princess again.

About Us: Jim (64) and I (59) have been cruising for about 10
years. This is our 18th cruise; Seawind Crown, HAL (6 on Zuiderdam,
7 on others), Celebrity Century, NCL Norway, RCI (Enchantment,
Brilliance, Majesty), and this Caribbean Princess. We have been
spoiled by HAL, and have come to expect certain amenities that
Princess could have, but did not offer. We went into this cruise
with the notion that this bigger, newer ship would offer at least
as much as HAL does, and perhaps that was our mistake. The only
reason we booked this ship is because our favorite HAL Zuiderdam is
in Alaska, and we do not care to go there. Period.

Overview As expected, the Caribbean Princess is a beautiful
ship. The color scheme, art work and furnishings in general were
lovely, and flowed beautifully. The physical layout is somewhat
clumsy, as there are two spots where 'you can't get there from
here', if you know what I mean. Some elevators only went to certain
floors, and you have to navigate to the other end of the

ship to get the right elevator. Even the convenient pocket-sized
ship map didn't help much. We still had to go to the Atrium to see
where we were. With the exception of Ernie, our cabin steward, Raj,
the waiter, and the entire Casino staff, the level of service was
way below par. I believe 'Anytime Dining' impairs the bonding
necessary to attain that 'homey' feeling.

Embarkation Travel to Port Everglades was uneventful, and we
arrived at the Pier at around 11:30. We waited outside in a
looooooong line for the terminal doors to open at noon. Crying
children, complaining passengers, rap music and constant
ear-shattering fork-lift noises did not make this wait any easier.
Once inside, we waited another 20 minutes in line for check-in, and
stood in the boarding line for 10 minutes when the I-Pass computer
system went down, stopping the boarding process. Another 20 minutes
later we were allowed to board, and were directed (not escorted) to
our cabin location by attendants in the elevator lobbies. Somewhat
disappointed by our Jr. Suite and the dingy balcony, we went to the
Horizon Court for a bite and had a very hard time finding a table.
We ended up outside in the heat and humidity for our first
uncomfortable taste of CB.

Cabin We were in Dolphin 628, a Cat AB Junior Suite just aft of
midships. We had seen photos online, and were pleased by the color
scheme in the bedroom part, but did not realize how long and narrow
the room would be. The mirror behind the bed did help to enlarge
the room visually, but did not make it any more comfortable. We
found the walk-in closet to be nice, but almost all clothing had to
be folded up on shelves. The only drawers in the cabin are not
appropriate for clothing storage. The cabin is divided by a console
housing the refrigerator and TV in the bedroom and another TV in
the sitting room (both Panasonics with front jacks for DigiCams).
Both are on the top shelf and while it's OK in the bedroom, my neck
still hurts from watching it from the couch. Of course, you can't
watch two different channels because the TVs are 12 inches apart
and the sound from the other one is so annoying. We never used the
rest of the console space. They should have put some DRAWERS
there.

The desk is big enough to write on, but when you open your
laptop (no dialup connection), there isn't room for anything else
(I moved the phone to the floor). The hair dryer is decent and is
right next to the desk with pretty good overhead lighting and
another outlet for your curling iron. I guess the desk is really a
dressing table.

The balcony is dismal. Four chairs (two that have dingy pads and
recline, but not as long as loungers) and a dining table too high
for the chairs. We used it for a footrest the few times we went out
there. If the chairs had been comfortable, this uncovered balcony
would have been great to sun on while you're waiting for a lounger
at the pool. I think we used the balcony no more than 30
minutes.

Dining Traditional dining is being kept alive in the Island
Dining Room for those of us who prefer it (but not for us, as we
were too far down on the waitlist) in one of 3 dining rooms. The
Palm and Coral Dining Rooms offered 'Anytime' dining, meaning you
can show up at any time and be seated with friends or strangers or
alone, and are served by a different waitstaff every time. If you
click, you can arrange the same table - same waiter each night, but
if you do, please either show up or call to cancel. They will hold
such reservation 30 minutes before filling it.

On the 2nd formal night we asked to be seated anywhere and were
installed at a nice table for 8. The other six chairs stared at us
unfilled for the remainder of the meal. I have never felt so
uncomfortable! There was no effort to find us table mates, so the
waiter, Raj from India, did his best to make our meal as pleasant
as possible. When the lobster was served, very undercooked, and we
sent it back, Raj came back with a double-order cooked perfectly!
There was a comment card on the table, so we gave kudos to Raj and
suggested that 'whoever' seated this couple at an empty 8-top be
retrained .

Horizon Court / Cafe Caribe: This 24-hour 'dining restaurant' is
very nicely decorated with lots of big windows. That's the best
thing I can say about it and Cafe Caribe as well. The service area
is divided into stations which more or less contain the same-course
foods. The exception is maybe the hot desserts which are by the
teriyaki. There is no traffic organization... two entrances mean
two directions (or more) and creates a swarm of piranha-like diners
who must elbow their way to the front of the station only to find
there's nothing they like. The little signs on the sneeze guard are
not always taken down when the dish is exhausted, so don't be
disappointed if your favorite dessert isn't there after all. I
personally found the selections to be nicely varied, and there was
always something I loved. Drink selections are regular/decaf
coffee, hot tea, iced unsweetened tea and water. Lemon slices are
thin and unsqueezable, so you must ask (find) an attendant for
WEDGES. Straws must also be requested.

Sabatini's: We dined on 'Sampler Night' which meant we were
served several bites of EVERYTHING on the menu (except we chose one
main course and one soup). I loved the variety and had a taste of
dishes I probably wouldn't think of ordering, but now I know I
will. I had the Grilled Sea Bass which was absolutely excellent!
Please make time to enjoy this dining venue... you will not be
disappointed. Sterling Steakhouse: Based on negative reviews, we
didn't dine there.

Room Service: We had Continental Breakfast every day; pastries,
juice, fruit, cereal, coffee and tea are offered and delivered in
30-minute ranges, each one delivered on time, and re-checked for
accuracy before the steward left. One afternoon I ordered a roast
beef on rye with the best potato chips I ever had in my life. I can
only assume other offerings are equally satisfying.

Ship FacilitiesAs previously said, the ship itself is quite
beautiful. We found all show rooms, restaurants and lounges to be
well-planned with very good acoustics and sight-lines. The Atrium
area is gorgeous and enables you to find shops, bars and Ship
Services easily.

Pools: The 4 pools were very nice, although the Pizza and Burger
areas looked institutional, and the servers not very friendly.
Every pool was crowded; every lounger occupied or 'saved'. We
didn't use the 'swim-against-the-current' pool. We like to swim and
sunbathe when the sun is out, not at 4:00 when we have other things
to do. We spent NO time there.

Spa: The asian-themed facilities are typically decorated in
relaxing natural textures and New Age music. There is a sauna, a
traditional steam and an herbal steam (good for you sinus
sufferers), and heated stone chairs which drain the tension right
out of your bones. Aaaahhh. I had my usual 3 Ionithermie treatments
with Leanne from South Africa. I only lost 9" this time, but the
thighs are primo!

Warning... the spa pass includes only the 4 things above. Even
though there is a door to a pool, it is NOT a HYDRA-THERAPY pool!
There are no bubbling warm therapeutic seawater aquajets for your
shoulders... It's cold, the hot tubs are cold, it's public (!),
they sell alcohol (!)

Disco: Skywalkers Nite Club can only be accessed by a
people-mover way up in the shopping-cart handle. Lots of neon and
chrome enhance this space-age disco... huge windows reflect the
lighting back atcha. We enjoyed the '70-'80s music 'til about
midnight when the 'wangstas' came in and they changed to rap music,
at which time we left.

Showroom: We only saw one show in the Princess Theater. The
seating is comfortable and acoustics and sightlines are
excellent.

Photo: Although they were all conveniently labeled as to which
DR, sitting, port, etc., we couldn't find most of the photos taken
of us. We did notice that the attendant really, REALLY didn't want
to be there. When someone couldn't find the cast-off box and handed
the unwanted photos to him, he threw them across the counter onto
the floor. He needs a cruise.

Casino: The Casino is the biggest cruise ship casino we have
ever experienced. While they still have only one Craps table, it IS
open during the daytime. You'll also find low rising gaming tables
designed to be handicapped-accessible, but were occupied by any and
everyone, and are much more comfortable than bar stools, in my
opinion.

Internet Café: I'm still fuming there is no dialup access in my
suite. I'm accustomed to composing emails and logging on just a few
moments to send them, then disconnecting, for a minimal charge. On
CB, it's 35¢ per minute for surfing, composing, downloading...
everything! I could have dragged my laptop to a hotspot, but it's
so far and so much trouble.

MUTS (Movies Under the Stars): This innovative outdoor theater
was visited by many passengers, although we never saw SRO... the
screen is huge and displays beautiful crisp color even in
daylight.

Putting Course: This is an insult. It is very small and shabby,
considering its age of 2 years. Don't waste your time.

Staff Ernie, our cabin steward, was the single most important
crew member... he managed to keep our cabin neat and stocked
despite our ridiculous sleep schedule Leann from the Lotus Spa
(series of 3 Ionithermies) was very personable and understanding
when I insisted on NOT purchasing any 'product' The Casino Host and
many of the dealers were very friendly and pretty much made the
cruise for us Raj, our waiter one formal night, was very attentive
CD Dave Cole was funny and endearing (sorry, I never got to meet
him)

Excursions This is my stock advice. I print it with every
review. If you haven't already booked online, when you arrive at
your cabin you will find a Shore Excursions brochure listing the
various activities available shoreside. You may fill out the order
form at your leisure and deposit it in the Express Drop Box at the
Shore Excursions Desk. Please keep in mind that the most popular
trips sell out very fast. If you are traveling with friends and
want to go together, put all the tickets on one room card. One time
we ordered separately and one couple got the tickets and one couple
didn't.

Ship Activities We found the schedule of activities to be
difficult to coordinate with other activities and dining times.

The Rest

Passengers: Average age around 40, almost no children underfoot,
and no unruly drunks.

Smoking: Bring your own cigarettes. Only a few brands are
offered at the bars. If you smoke something simple, like Winston,
you're outta luck. Smoking is very limited in public areas

.

Motion: Seas were smooth (barely a ripple) so I can't comment on
CB's ability to handle rough seas. Personally, I found something
missing in the lack of motion, and I didn't have that 'rocking' for
3 days afterwards. Rules and Regs:

Parents and Guardians are responsible for their children's
behavior; are asked to restrain them from loud or disruptive
behavior, running in public rooms, open decks or passageways and
playing in elevators; must encourage all children to conform to the
suggested dress code, and wear cover-ups in interior public
places

Gambling: Pax under the age of 21 may not attend cash prize
Bingo unless accompanied by a parent or guardian and are not
permitted in the Casino Skywalkers Nightclub is off limits to pax
under 18 or without valid photo ID Alcohol is served to pax at
least 21 with valid photo ID Gym & Hot Tubs, sauna, steam rooms
or golf areas are for pax 16 and older unless accompanied by a
parent or guardian

Pools Spa Pool on deck 16 and Terrace Pool on deck 14 are for
adult use only Children are not permitted to use the pools without
an adult to supervise No diving, jumping and running Stay off all
safety netting For health and safety reasons, CHILDREN IN DIAPERS
WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN ANY OF THE POOLS Evening Shows: Teens and
children are welcome to attend the evening entertainment with their
parents/guardians, but may not sit in the front 3 rows of the

Debarkation: Beginning at 8:30, debarkation went very smoothly.
I did not like having to wait in the public areas (all seating
space taken), but the wait was not too long, and we took turns
going to the bathroom. Luggage was easily found, although OUR TSA
TATTLETALE LOCKS WERE CUT OFF ! Regardless, we were outta there in
plenty of time for our noon flight.

Suggestions: 1. Offer a place to sit while waiting outside for
the check-in doors to open. You have seating on the way out, why
not on the way in? Bad first impression. 2. Have stewards in the
Horizon Court help the 3.000 passengers who are carrying a platter,
plate and bowl full of food, silverware and a drink to find a place
to sit. While you're at it, give them a tray to make it easier to
carry. 3. Sell different brands of cigarettes. 4. Replace that
putting course. 5. Lower the sitting room TVs. There's plenty of
room on the shelf below.

Travelogue

Saturday, Embarkation: [As above] We waited outside (in the heat
and humidity) in a looooooong line for the terminal doors to open
at noon. Crying children, complaining passengers, rap music and
constant ear-shattering fork-lift noises did not make this wait any
easier. Once inside, we waited another 20 minutes in line for
check-in, and stood in the boarding line for 10 minutes when the
I-Pass computer system went down, stopping the boarding process.
Another 20 minutes later we were allowed to board, and were
directed (not escorted) to our cabin location by attendants in the
elevator lobbies. Our cabin was a bit disappointing, but
acceptable, and after gathering some reading material, we headed
for the Horizon Court for what we hoped would be a wonderful Lunch
Buffet.

What we found was a swarm of like-minded cruisers trying to
balance a platter, bowl, napkin and tableware while elbowing in to
the 'stations' of what you would think were different courses, but
are really only divided into hot things, cold things, saucy things,
dry things and wet things (like pastry with hot vanilla sauce next
to the stir-fry). The beverage bar offered unsweetened (ugh) iced
tea and water, coffee and hot tea. Lemons were sliced thinly
(impossible to squeeze) and no straws were available. Soft drinks
are available from cocktail stewards.

Once we had selected all that we could comfortably carry, we
started the search for a place to sit. We went around twice,
through the Cafe Caribe and back, and finally went outside in the
heat and humidity to an uncomfortable plastic table... no salt
& pepper, sugar, steward... a total turnoff. The food was
decent, but for seconds, one person has to stay and save the table.
Disappointed again, we went down for a nap.

The safety drill is held inside instead (thankfully) of outside
on the Promenade, and you don't put on your life jackets until they
give you the instructions. After touring the ship, we skipped the
Sailaway Party and tried the Sailaway Buffet, which was the cold
lobster, crab, shrimp and other seafood. We thought the food was
pretty good, but had a hard time finding a table. We skipped the
Grand Adventure Showtime, but caught a few minutes of Princess Pop
Star, which was somewhat entertaining. Nothing else of interest, so
we retired early after a long day of travel and disappointment.

Sunday, Princess Cays We had reserved 2 Floats online, and got
there just in time to claim them. Fortunately, there were two
unused loungers way in the back, and we were able to drag them down
to the shoreline. We ordered the frozen NADoD, and were surprised
when they came in a large plastic cup with no top or straw. I asked
the steward if there was a lid of some kind, and he said, "No, but
I'll get you something" which turned out to be another large
plastic cup to be turned upside-down on top of the other. WHAT? How
do you keep the sand out of your drink? At every other beach I've
ever visited, they have hard plastic cups with TOPS AND STRAWS. Can
you tell I'm still mad?

At 4:30 I had a 55 minute Ionithermie with Leann. She is a
wonderful therapist, and the cool strawberry/cucumber water, low
lights and new wave music gave me the most relaxing few moments of
the cruise, so far. Monday, Sea Day Highlights of this day were
Josh's Live Cocktail Demo, Battle of the Sexes Pool Games, Piano
Man matinee, Survival Challenge (round 1), Captain's Welcome Party,
Rock 'n' Roll Party, and 3 showings (we couldn't find seats in any
of them) of Steve Moris' Comedy Showtime. Jim signed me up for the
"Princess Price is Almost Right Game Show" and I was chosen to
"come on down". I received a prize for participating (a certificate
for a waterproof laptop case).

We tried to fit a formal night dinner in between shows, but
couldn't get the timing right. We were seated with two other
couples and a family of four, and had a pleasant, if unremarkable,
dinner.

Tuesday, Ocho Rios We had high hopes for our River Tubing Safari
which was to go from 11:30 - 3:00. We lined up on time at the pier,
only to find there was no one there to greet us. Jim had forgotten
his sunglasses and tried to buy some at the only store, finding
only items of the lowest quality for TEN DOLLARS EACH. The first
pair broke after 5 minutes, and the only good thing I can say about
these people is that they gave him an exchange. I guess at a markup
of about 1,000% they can afford to. Someone finally showed up at
about noon, and we filled up a few vans and headed out. The ride up
the hill should have taken about 20 minutes, but we had to stop and
put air in the tires on the way. The road is narrow and rocky and
full of potholes, and I'm glad I took my Dramamine. Once there, we
stood at the launch area for about 45 minutes... 100 degrees IN THE
SUN ... WITH NO DRINKING WATER ... and the tubes were finally
brought back up from the bottom. This was to be a leisurely 2-mile
float through scenic areas, but we were pushed and herded and
directed to one side or another by 'guides' and were not at all
relaxed. We had to hold onto the other rafts, and Jim's shoulder
hurt for 2 weeks. At the end we were directed to a shack where we
were able to get a drink while our photos were being processed.
They had 6 or 8 laptops working, and all the people in our group
had to look through all of them, find their photos, decide which
ones they wanted to burn to disk, and we were among the last when
they had an equipment failure. Our guide was sweating 'cause we
wanted our photos and he needed to get us back on time or lose his
contract. We made it, but after experiencing the downhill ride of a
lifetime! I wouldn't do it again.

Wednesday, Grand Cayman Jim stayed aboard while I went shopping.
Fortunately I have been there before and knew just where I wanted
to go. GC is a very good shopping town, and I try to walk around
for at least a couple of hours when I'm in the neighborhood.

I relaxed during my Ionithermie treatment (feel those inches
falling off). I had purchased a week of spa passes, and Jim was
going to meet me after my treatment so we could enjoy the spa pool,
which wasn't at all what we thought it would be. It's not a thermal
pool, or even part of the spa! It's a public access pool! Even the
water in the jacuzzis was cool! We went straight to the spa desk
and spoke to the Manager, who politely agreed to refund the week's
fee, less fees for one full day, which we didn't even use. At least
we got something back.

We skipped the Ice Carving Demo, Comedy Showtime with Miguel
Washington, "Caribbean Caliente" (the Ultimate Party Show, Golden
Oldies Princess Pop Star and a Spelling Bee Qualifying Round. After
dinner we visited the Skywalkers Nightclub, which was fabulous!
Great music, seating, lighting effects, views... we even got up and
danced! We left when the gangstas came in and the music changed,
then went down to close down the casino.

Thursday, Cozumel This is usually my favorite port, but it was
uncomfortably hot and humid, and our bed was so cool and
comfortable... we played it lazy all day. We missed both showings
of Spotlight Cabaret with Comedy Juggler Adam Kario, Country &
Western Hoe Down, Concert with Bert Stratton, Country Princess Pop
Star, and an International Crew Show.

Friday, Sea Day My last Ionithermie report showed I lost 9½
inches (my record is 13½), and I was very pleased with the way my
skin looked. We started to pack it up, collecting our
shore-boughten liquor and filling out our Passenger Questionnaire
(we needed extra paper for this one). We're usually sad to leave a
ship... not so this one.

We didn't see any of the Culinary Demo/Galley Tour, Survival
Challenge Finals, Maitre d' Wine Club, Farewell Variety Showtime
with Miguel Washington and Kimika or Spelling Bee Final, but the
Princess Pop Star Final was very nicely done.

Saturday, Debarkation The Caribbean Princess is a pretty big
ship, but can you imagine 3,000 pax and all their carryon gear
sitting in the public places (floors) waiting to get off? We had an
early flight and did not feel like waiting, so we went to the
gangway and when they called the next number we left. No one was
checking tickets (most pax don't even know they're supposed to tear
off the stubs). We then found our luggage and discovered TWO LOCKS
HAD BEEN CUT OFF. One TSA tattle-tale lock and one TSA regular
lock. Nothing missing, but the locks are pricey!

We won't be sailing Princess again, unless a group of friends
forces us to.

We just returned from a wonderful 7 day cruise on the Caribbean
Princess. The itinerary included Princess Cays, St. Thomas
and St. Maarten. We traveled with 3 other couples, 2 of us flew
from Buffalo, N.Y and the other couples who live in Florida met us
on the ship. We arrived at the port after a short cab ride from the
airport and even though the line was long, embarkation went pretty
quickly. If I could make one suggestion to everyone reading
this, it would be to read the information you received from
Princess and keep a folder with all your travel documents and have
them ready. Most of the delays we observed were due to
passengers who are not prepared when they got to the counter. After
finding our room and meeting our room steward (Elena from Romania)
we proceeded to the welcome aboard buffet. The buffet line is
a little hard to manage at first because people are entering from
both ends and of course since many of us haven’t eaten anything
except the bag of pretzels on the plane, people are a little
aggressive. The buffet will never
again be as crowded as you see it on the first day of the cruise.
Our Impressions of the Ship: We reserved balcony rooms on the
Caribe deck, (our room was C735) toward the back of the ship.
The balconies on this deck are larger and more private than other
decks. We could actually look down on balconies below
us. We were pleasantly surprised at the size of the room, it
was quite roomy with plenty of closet and storage space. The
refrigerator conveniently held the 3 liter box of wine we had
packed in our luggage. I don’t think I need to mention the
size of the bathroom since that has been covered in great detail in
other reviews. We knew what to expect so it wasn’t a problem
unless you dropped the soap. The bathroom is stocked with
hotel size shampoo, conditioner and lotion from the Lotus
Spa. During the cruise, these were constantly restocked. It’s
a little hard to navigate since all elevators do not go to all
floors. We suggest you carry your pocket guide and memorize
which set of elevators you used to get to your restaurant.
This may mean walking past the closest elevator to your room and
using the mid-ship elevators. We really enjoyed the adult pools and
hot tubs. We found the pool by the movie screen much too
crowded and loud, but that is personal preference. If you
don’t like crowds, there are lots of quiet areas where you can
relax and read a book or take a nap. It would be hard to find
a lounge chair around the MUTS pool, but no problem in other areas.
We found the public areas tastefully decorated and very well
kept. The only evening the atrium seemed crowded was the
formal night when the photographers were set up. We liked the
fact that they had several photographers and backgrounds so that
the lines weren’t so long. This was actually the first time
we had our picture taken because of the lines we encountered on
previous cruises. Our room was in the aft section and even though
we didn’t seem to encounter any stormy weather, we felt the motion
of the ship quite a bit on this cruise. Even in other parts
of the ship it was noticeable. Our group is not prone to
seasickness so it didn’t really bother us, just something to note.
Because of our dinner time and the fact that most of the movies and
shows on the MUTS screen weren’t of great interest to us, we didn’t
go down in the evening. We did, however watch the football
games on Sunday. The screen is awesome and I would try to do
that on a future cruise. Our Impressions of the Dining: We ate
breakfast and lunch in the Horizon Court/Café Caribe daily.
There was a large variety and we enjoyed most of our choices.
The food was not very hot though, and there could have been a few
more drink stations available. We ate dinner in the Caribe Café the
first night (seafood extravaganza) and the crab legs were actually
frozen. The water from the drink stations is filtered and
tastes just fine, you really don’t need to purchase the bottled
water they are trying to sell. We also tried the pizza and
the grill items and we liked them. The challenge is to find a
table once you have your pizza, or hot dog or burger. Seating
is really at a premium in this area. The remainder of the cruise we
ate dinner in the Palm Dining room. We had signed up for
anytime dining, but after our first night, we arranged a standing
reservation for our group of 8 for the remaining nights. Even
though the head waiter couldn’t give us a 7:30 reservation (he put
us down for 8:00) he said if we arrived at 7:30 he would “try” to
get us in. Our table, with our waitress, Oana, from Romania was
ready for us each night after the first. The head waiter did
not even walk us to the table after the second night, just nodded
and waived us through. We all enjoyed the food in the dining
room and there were lots of choices. Oana would offer to
bring another choice from the menu if you were anything less than
enthusiastic about your meal. One person in our party
mentioned crème brulee, which we had early in the cruise and she
quickly summoned the chef who arranged to have it ready for us the
next evening. The only negative I have to say about the meals is
that they were never hot. I have nothing but good to say about the
service we received and we all left a little “extra” with Oana on
our last night. Our impressions of the Ports: Our itinerary was
changed so that we went to Princess Cays first. We weren’t in
a hurry to leave the ship so we had to walk a bit down the beach to
find an open lounge. There is plenty of seating and trees and
grass tiki huts for shade. We’re actually glad we didn’t
spend money to reserve a cabana, we didn’t need it. We didn’t
eat the barbecue but it looked and smelled good. When you are
leaving the ship, workers will be trying to sell bottled water,
implying that there is none on the beach. This is not
true. There are water containers all over the place and it’s
the same water you drink on the ship. One couple reserved the
floats with the hole for your face and were disappointed.
They were quite heavy, and way too much work. Otherwise, a
nice relaxing day at the beach. St. Thomas – we reserved a parasail
adventure through Shoretrips.com and loved it. We also bought
tickets on the Skyride and didn’t think it was worth $15.
Another couple booked a trip to Magan’s Bay through Princess and
said it was the best beach they have ever seen and not to be
missed. Our last couple did the “Bob” adventure and had a
great time. We’ll have to go again so we can do the things we
missed this time around. In the future I’ll probably hop in one of
the numerous taxis available as you exit the ship. You are in port
all day, so there is plenty of time to go almost anywhere and be
back to the ship in time. St. Maarten – This was the only place
where we all booked the same tour and it turned into a
disaster. We booked the “Under two Flags” bus tour through
Princess. The tour highlights the Dutch and the French sides
of the Island with a stop (45 minutes) on the French side.
The short stop didn’t give you much time to do anything except have
a drink at one of the numerous cafes. We all headed back to
the bus and after traveling about 2 blocks, our bus driver jumped
out of the bus, closed the doors and got in a taxi heading the
opposite way. Needless to say, passengers started to panic
and a few folks went to the front of the bus to get the doors
opened. Once the doors were opened some people tried to get
police assistance through one of the vendors at a souvenir
stand. After about 15 minutes, our bus driver arrives back at
the bus and without explanation, and after letting the passengers
back on the bus, he continues the tour. He did at one point
apologize for the “minor inconvenience.” I’m still not sure
exactly what happened but after numerous complaints at the tour
desk, all money was refunded. I cannot even imagine what the
driver was thinking because I am sure the drivers depend on tips
and obviously he didn’t get any that day. Perhaps this
experience ruined our perception, but we didn’t see too much on
this Island that would call us back. General Impressions: We loved
this cruise. You can do as little or as much as you want to
do. We only attended one show, Piano Man, and I wasn’t that
impressed. We did enjoy Bert Stratton and stopped to listen a
few nights. We won a little money at the roulette table, so
we liked the casino, but even though you can’t see the smoke, you
can smell it as soon as you walk in. We didn’t encounter
problems with smoke anywhere else on the ship. The no smoking
signs seemed to be well observed. We liked the easy listening
music in the Wheelhouse Bar and our waiter was fun. Our room
was immaculate and the beds were very comfortable. We
encountered only good service, and everyone was friendly and happy
to help. We had the gratuities added to our shipboard account
and gave some extra to our room steward, our waitress and our “wine
guy”. I would definitely recommend this cruise.

My wife and I decided to check out the best suite Princess has
to offer and booked a Grand Suite on one of the newer Princess Mega
Ships, the Caribbean Princess. We are Celebrity regulars and just
wanted to see if Princess would meet our stringent requirements. We
booked a 7 day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Princess Cays, Grand
Cayman, Jamaica, Cozumel and back to Fl.

We booked the Grand Suite which is the equivalent of the
Penthouse Suite on Celebrity. There is only one Grand Suite on the
Caribbean Princess so I could not be choosey as to the date I
wanted to sail therefore we had to book according to the
availability of the Grand Suite and of course it was available
during peak hurricane season, September 24 to October 1st.

We left our home at 10 am on Saturday for our journey to FLL via
our truck loaded with luggage. We used the Park and Fly lot which
is about $8.00 a day and includes a free shuttle to and fro the
port. I used it on our last cruise and it worked out just perfectly
for

us. We dropped our luggage off with the dock porters and proceeded
into a very busy terminal. We waited in the main line to go through
security for about 15 minutes and then I proceeded to the Suite and
Elite member line. I waited about 10 minutes in this line and when
I got up to window the Princess Rep asked for my tickets, etc and
when he say my name he summoned someone from the ship who was there
in 30 seconds grabbing our carry-on luggage and whisking up onto
the ship avoiding any more lines that day. He escorted us to the
Grand Suite. I thought that was a very nice touch and I get the
same service on Celebrity so we are even with service at this
point. In the Grand Suite were 2 bottles of Champagne. I was
surprised to see a bottle of Moet and Chandon which is expensive
champagne and exactly what Celebrity placed in my room in May 05.

The Suite was very clean, new furniture and over-all very
pleasing to the eye. It seemed half the size of the Millennium PS
but I would guess the total square footage was around 1,100 sq feet
versus 1,450 on the Millie. The furniture was nicer and newer on
the Princess and the PC-work area had free internet access which
the Celebrity did not so this was a real plus to me. On the
Millennium one can spend a lot of money at $.80 a minute accessing
email and the internet.

The price for the Grand Suite was on par with the Celebrity
Penthouse or maybe a tad cheaper. The complimentary “minature”
liquor bar included 2 bottles of cognac, 2 bottles of gin , 2
bottles of volka and 2 bottles of Canadian Club. The brands were
mid range and really not what I drink. On Celebrity you get top
shelve liquor and you get litres and they provided me as much
liquor and mixers and soda as we wanted. On Princess I was told
this is it. In the small fridge I got a few bottles of Perrier, 2
small water bottles and 2 cans of diet coke, regular coke and tonic
water. They were not going to be refilled without a charge. On
Celebrity there are unlimited beverages in the Penthouse Suite. I
asked about the big bottle of water on the counter and I was told
it’s $3.50 per bottle even for the Grand Suite. I mentioned to the
Room Stewardess that I thought charging me for water in the Grand
Suite was a bit barbaric and she said one bottle would be on the
house. I kept getting reminded that this wasn’t Celebrity and
Carnival runs a tighter budget. Considering my wife drinks 5 or 6
cans of diet coke a day I knew this could be an expensive trip.
Luckily I carried on 48 cans for the trip and used the mini fridge
to keep them cool. We would do the unlimited sodas for the week but
I didn’t want to run to a bar every few hours to get a small glass
of diet coke so I am glad I brought the soda onboard. I had no
hassles bringing the sodas or 4 bottles of alcohol in my carryon
luggage. In fact, when in Cozumel I bought 4 bottles of Patron
Tequila and 4 litres of Grand Marnier and when putting the boxes
through security I said, its water and the Security Agent said,
sure, Mexican Water but she let me take the booze to the room which
I thought was nice. If you want a great margarita, try Patron
Tequila and half as much grand marnier with margarita mix, a great
drink.

There are no Butlers on Princess so everything you want in your
room goes through Room Service which was an inconvenience to us. On
Celebrity I never had to call and wait on the phone to order food
and wait 20 minutes. The head of room service was a very nice
gentleman and visited me on several occasions and said he would do
whatever it took to make me happy and satisfied. I ordered special
lunches everyday not on the menu which the main chefs prepared for
me, ie, Indian food, Phillipino, Italian, Mexican. The Maitre’D
would coordinate my lunch through the Chef and room service and my
dining room waiter would deliver it to my room on a large cart. It
turned out to be very elegant and we enjoyed our lunches. The Grand
Suite dining room table was pre set by my waiter and the
presentation of the food in the suite for lunch was nicer than the
“Butler” lunch service on Celebrity.

The room stewardess assigned to the Grand Suite was Mary from
the Philippines and she was very good at her job. She acted as our
quasi-Butler trying to accommodate all our needs. She was tipped
accordingly since I really appreciated her excellent service. I
have never had a Room Steward or Stewardess on Celebrity that
bested the professionalism of Mary so I think Princess scored well
in assigning the Grand Suite the top of the line personnel. I have
had Butlers on Celebrity that bested the stewardess service.

The balcony on the Grand Suite was long and narrow and about 200
sq feet without a hot tub or wet bar. Nothing will ever compare to
the balconies on the M class ships, 1,400 sq feet with wet bar and
hot tubs so I was let down by the size of the Grand Suite’s
balcony. There were people above the balcony and when we left ports
I had confetti all over my balcony. I also had at least 10
cigarette butts on the balcony from inconsiderate folks throwing
them overboard in the wind. When we left Fort Lauderdale people
were throwing ice overboard and some would comeback and hit us in
the head. I think Princess should do something about people
throwing things overboard. On the Millennium nothing every was
thrown onto our balcony.

Also not having a second bathroom in the best suite on the ship
was a big let down since all the Celebrity Penthouse Suites have at
least an extra half bath (C class ships) or a full shower bath (M
class). On Celebrity its great that they have at least that half
bath or more. There are times when one bath is tied up and its
tough waiting for 5 or more minutes.

The ports of call on this western Caribbean cruise we have been
to numerous times and once you have seen them a few times it gets
boring to get off the ship. We don’t cruise to go sightseeing in
the Caribbean, we cruise just to get away and get pampered. We
never made it to a show on the ship so I cant comment on the
shows.

We went to The Steakhouse restaurant once on the ship and had a
great meal and to Sabatini’s once and had a great meal. As good as
these meals were they did not compare as far as treatment and food
quality to the Olympic Restaurant on the Millie. Don’t get me
wrong, I enjoyed both Princess specialty restaurants but they just
were no where as elegant as the M class Ships specialty
restaurants. The waiters did a great job in both restaurants and
were tipped well, over and above the surcharge. The waiters and
Maitre D, in my opinion were not the same caliber as the personnel
in the Olympic. The food was not cooked at the table, there was no
cheese cart and the desserts did not compare. The desserts in both
Sabatini’s and the Steak House were identical to the main dining
room desserts.

The Captain did invite me to dinner on the first formal night
and we sat at my assigned table. He invited another couple to join
us which worked out fine. We were invited to the bridge twice and
the Captain Romano was most cordial to us. (see pics of us on the
bridge and at dinner). I never was invited to his personal quarters
for tea or breakfast (as I was on the Millennium) or was I allowed
to tour the engine room after asking a few times. The Hotel
Director called the Passenger Services Director on Princess visited
my room on the first day and we chatted but that was it. On
Celebrity I developed a friendship with the hotel director Renato
and saw him most days while cruising.

We realized after this cruise that 7 day cruises are not for us.
We don’t want to bother with all the packing and driving for seven
days so in the future we will book 10 plus day cruises.

The food in the main dining room was very good and on par with
Celebrity. I found no problems with any of the food and the
desserts were great too. The afternoon tea was great and we went
almost everyday.

In summary we had an excellent time on the Caribbean Princess
and I would consider going on a longer cruise on Princess in the
Grand Suite in the future. It wasn’t as good as the Millennium
experience considering the prices are almost on par. It’s getting
impossible to book a PS on an M class ship these days since they
are so popular but my next cruise will be on Celebrity.

Princess uses the automatic tipping so I had no choice, I used
envelopes at the end to reward those outstanding personnel that
made a difference in our cruise but I didn’t tip as much as I would
have on Celebrity for some reason. I guess I wasn’t as motivated as
I usually am.

Pictures of this cruise, bridge tour, captains dinner and the
Grand Suite are on my website, just click below or cut and
paste:

On Saturday, our family of six - myself, husband, three
daughters and a daughter's boyfriend - arrived at Port Everglades
in Ft. Lauderdale about 10:45 a.m. There was only a short line, but
half an hour later the line grew very long. I was glad to be near
the front. We stood in the shade and so did not mind standing.
After filling out the health form, we proceeded to the area for our
deck, filled out the paperwork, got our ID cards, and off we went
to our cabins, a very efficient and painless process.

We had two balcony cabins and one inside on Caribe deck. The
showers were not as cramped as I thought they would be; with a
little creative maneuvering they were perfectly sufficient. The
balcony was double the size of those above and below us, which was
nice when the girls wanted to escape their inside cabin and join us
outside. Our cabin stewards were friendly and helpful, and our
cabin was decorated with balloons for our anniversary. We had lunch
in Horizon Court. Like any buffet, there were great and
not-so-great food items, but we

found plenty of good food to choose from.

As recommended by others, we reserved our "Movies Under the
Stars" (MUTS) and made a standing reservation for Personal Choice
dining from our cabin when boarding. The specialty restaurants
Sterlings and Sabatinis had to be reserved through Sabatinis in
person after 1 p.m. TIP: Confirm your movie the day it's scheduled;
the ship's newsletter had our movie listed on a day other than the
one I was told over the phone.

Our family chose to meet at the Palm dining room with a standing
reservation at 6 p.m. each day for dinner. TIP: If you call the
first day to make a standing reservation and decide you want the
same waiter and table, call the second day and reserve it. We
neglected to do this and did not get the same waiter or table the
second night. Our waiter, Carlos, was absolutely outstanding. The
fact that my husband and he shared the same last name was an
icebreaker. We've never had better service, and even when the
dining room was at its busiest, his smile and friendliness never
wavered. He brought a cake for our anniversary, too.

Sunday - Sea Day

We awoke this morning to more balloons on our door for my
husband's birthday. Our steward said Happy Birthday, and this was
apparently by mention through the cruise personalizer, as we did
not tell him in person we were celebrating a birthday. We are early
birds, so most mornings we were at the gym on the treadmills at 6
a.m. There was no shortage of equipment.

We found plenty of food we liked at Horizon Court for breakfast,
and the coffee was perfectly fine. We grabbed a chair by the pool
in the morning, in the shade, and spent a couple of hours there.
Husband had enough of the pool after about an hour and went to the
casino. We spent some time at the auction in the afternoon, which
was fun (but I enjoyed the auction on Carnival better, because they
had more affordable pieces).

Tonight was formal night. TIP: Give yourself plenty of time for
photos before dinner, as the lines for the photographer get pretty
long; or wait until after dinner for photos. Tonight I experienced
the only item on the week's menus that was a disappointment - the
beef tenderloin was dry and overdone. On the recommendation of the
waiter (the only night we did not have our favorite waiter,
Carlos), I ordered it medium-well, but it came out well done. Of
course, I could have sent it back, but there was so much other food
on my plate, it was not a big issue. Feel free to order 2 entrees
if you cannot make up your mind. David's Cornish Hen was
perfect.

We caught the 10 p.m. show on MUTS - "Hitch," a very nice
experience. They serve popcorn, but you can also bring food from
the Horizon Court or pizza.

Monday - Sea Day

The best pools for peace and quiet, away from all the
distractions, are the aft pool and the pool forward near the spa,
both adults-only. This morning I had my choice of chairs at the spa
pool, where there were plenty of ocean breezes. Morning is the best
time to find a chair at any pool; they get very crowded in the
afternoon on sea days.

We won a piece of art at the auction today!

Heads up - dining menu change! Monday's and Tuesday's menus were
switched. Monday turned out to be Caribbean night, and Tuesday was
Italian night. We had chosen Tuesday as our alternative dining
choosing to miss the Caribbean menu. So we were a little sad we
missed Italian night. We quickly got over it, though, as the pork
loin I had was outstanding.

The big show tonight, Caribbean Caliente, was canceled due to a
technical problem. They substituted Alexander the hypnotist. I love
this show. My husband volunteered to go up on stage during his show
three years ago on the Grand, so it brought back memories. It's a
riot what people will do while under hypnotic suggestion.

The highlight of our cruise came Monday night, when our youngest
daughter entered the Princess Teen Idol contest and won second
place. Not too brag, but unlike the other contestants, she sang
from memory and not with the karaoke lyrics on the screen. We were
so proud of her!

Tuesday - St. Thomas

Our oldest daughter and her boyfriend did the Princess Sail
& Snorkel Buck Island excursion and had a blast. The rest of us
did a tour with Sunny Liston, which I reserved ahead of time. He
met us at the pier with a sign showing our name at 10 a.m., dropped
us off for some shopping, then took us on a tour of the island and
to Mountain Top. The views were spectacular. The world-famous
daiquiri there was overrated and overpriced, and gave me a
headache. After the tour (a roller-coaster ride through steep and
narrow winding roads), he dropped us at Sapphire Beach, where we
snorkeled and swam. He picked us up at 3:30 and took us back to the
ship. Sunny was fun, pleasant and friendly. He gave us a fantastic
tour and it was well worth the $20 per person.

Tonight was our alternative dining experience. Our daughter and
her boyfriend loved Sabatinis, and noted that there is so much
food, you shouldn't expect to try it all. My husband and I chose to
eat at Sterlings. The food was excellent, the steaks superb, but
service was slow. Also, we were not impressed with the restaurant
décor.

Unfortunately, we crashed after dinner and missed the Tropical
Deck Party.

Wednesday - St. Martin

We arranged for a car rental through "Arthur," recommended on
these boards. However, neither Arthur nor his rental station was
anywhere to be found, so we chose Best Deal rentals, which also
comes highly recommended. For $70, we got a Mitsubishi Space Wagon,
a great car for the six of us. Unlike the steep, winding hills on
St. Thomas, the roads here were easy to navigate. We drove to
Bayside Stables where three of us went on a horseback ride. What a
magnificent way to see the beach. They took us for a ride through
the nature reserve at LeGalione Beach and down the beach itself. It
was breathtaking! After our ride, we went to Orient Beach, which
was beautiful and a bit more crowded than Sapphire on St. Thomas
yesterday. We went for a quick swim, bought ice cream, then headed
back to Phillipsburg for a little shopping and a bite to eat. By
this time, we had enough of the heat and headed back to the ship
early to mid-afternoon.

Dinner tonight was outstanding, as usual. David had the lamb and
I had the prawns. Carlos must have known I did not like a lot of
garlic; he steered me away from the pasta pesto dish and brought me
a small plate on the side, which was quite good and not too spicy.
He always brought our youngest daughter extra shrimp in her
appetizer and left us with extra plates of entrees so we could all
sample everything.

The girls went to the game room to play Uno after dinner.
Interestingly, they reported back that all the Uno cards were
missing from every game. It's sad to think that people would steal
them - if that was the case. Tonight we used our coupon for two
free candids and picked up a couple of photos from the gallery. The
photographers have been visible, but not intrusive, which is the
way we like it.

Tonight we saw the infamous Bert Stratton in Concert in the
Explorers Lounge, which is a bigger venue than his usual
performances. He is a terrific entertainer and as others have said,
looks a bit like Jim Carey.

Thursday - Sea Day

After our 6 a.m. workout and breakfast, it was another day of
relaxation by the aft pool. I got a chair overlooking the stern.
The pool is in the shade back here, a great spot to be out of the
blazing sun. Everyone went off and did their own things today.
David was back at the auction and won yet another piece of art, by
the same artist as the previous one, so they will go well together
on the wall.

Tonight was the second formal night. We skipped the photos and
went straight to the dining room. Tonight's menu featured lobster
tails, which were superb. The desserts are pretty great, so be sure
to save a bit of room. No matter how full we were, we managed to
cram in a soufflé, ice cream, parfait, mousse or that fabulous Love
Boat Dream.

We saw Piano Man tonight and were not all that impressed. It was
entertaining, but the choreography and vocals were just okay,
nothing spectacular.

Friday - Princess Cays

We had so much heat and sun already this week, so we were
undecided about how much time we wanted to spend here. We went
ashore about mid-morning and snorkeled and we were glad we did. The
snorkeling was good and the water beautiful. We were able to get a
spot in the shade of a palm tree. TIP: Be on the first or second
tender to get your choice of shaded chairs as they go fast. It was
a perfect beach day. After returning to the ship, it was time to
pack up, as the luggage needed to be out in the hall after dinner
for pick-up.

We had our final meal in the dining room this evening. We said
our goodbyes to Carlos and nominated him for Princess employee of
the month. After dinner we made our last purchases of photos and
took a walk up on Sun deck by the spa. Nothing beats the sight of a
bright moon shining over the ocean.

Saturday, Disembarkation

We woke up before sun-up and saw the lights of Ft. Lauderdale in
the distance, and felt sad having to leave all this behind. We went
for breakfast, finished collecting our belongings from the cabins,
and headed to the Explorers Lounge where we found comfortable seats
to await disembarkation. TIP: Get out of your cabin early to grab a
comfortable chair to await embarkation in one of the ship's
lounges. We found embarkation to be very smooth. Announcements are
made according to the color tag on your luggage. Exiting the ship
was quick and painless, and we found our luggage with little
problem. The bright colored duct tape on our luggage helped a
lot.

We were very fortunate to have fabulous weather the entire week.
It was a great way to reconnect with the family and spend quality
time together. We can't wait to start planning our next cruise.